1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved apparatus and process for taking up textured yarn plugs into a cartridge. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved apparatus and process for taking up textured yarn plugs in an orderly arrangement, such that the yarn can be removed thereafter without entanglement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a high-speed texturizing process, high-speed winders are required to take up the textured yarns. These winders are relatively expensive, are of questionable reliability, and are extremely noisy. Therefore, an alternative to these high-speed winders is desirable.
Accumulating yarn in plug form is known in the prior art; for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,185 of Mar. 9, 1965 to Langway and Billings; U.S. Pat. No. 3,316,609 of May 2, 1967 to C. J. Russo; U.S. Pat. No. 3,341,911 of Sept. 19, 1967 to J. W. Smith and U.S. Pat. No. 3,441,989 of May 6, 1969 to R. G. Clarkson et al. Each of these prior art patents suffers from one or more of the following disadvantages: complex equipment is needed to convey the yarn plug into the receiver; the packaging equipment must be tailored to accommodate a particular texturizing apparatus; and since all the yarn is deposited into a single receiving chamber, there is a tendency for the yarn to become tangled on removal. U.S. Pat. No. 3,058,690 of Oct. 16, 1962 to Russo et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,176 to B. A. Boggs disclose a plug storage apparatus which requires the plugs to be wrapped in a plastic tape, forming a sausagelike tube. After the yarn is removed, the wrap must either be discarded or rewound for reuse, which procedures are complex and inconvenient.
3. Summary of the Invention
One object of this invention is to provide a cartridge takeup apparatus as a replacement for costly high speed winders.
Another object of this invention is to provide a takeup apparatus which can operate at yarn speeds for which high speed winders are unavailable (i.e., speed &gt;6000 m per minute).
Another object of this invention is to provide a yarn plug takeup apparatus from which the yarn can be removed without entanglement, as well as a process for removal of the yarn.
In accordance with the present invention, an improved takeup apparatus for packaging yarn plugs comprises a spiral-walled cartridge for receiving yarn plugs from a yarn texturizer; a support for the base of said cartridge, said support having a spiral wall extending downward, the shape of said wall corresponding substantially to the shape of said cartridge wall; a shaft upon which said support is mounted; means for driving said support around said shaft by contacting the spiral wall of said support with a driving means; means for applying a lateral force to said shaft to hold the spiral wall of said support in non-slip contact with said driving means; means for sensing the lateral position of said support; and means for changing reversibly the direction of said lateral force such that the contact point of the driving means shifts from a point on the inside of the support spiral wall to a point on the outside of the wall.
In operation, the process comprises placing a cartridge having a spiral storage area beneath the texturizer outlet; causing the yarn plugs to fall along one side of the spiral storage area by rotating said cartridge in one direction (e.g., counterclockwise) at a speed substantially equal to that of said yarn plugs; sensing the lateral position of said cartridge at a point where continued rotation would cause said yarn plugs to fall at one extreme (e.g., innermost) section of the storage area in about 0.01 to 1 second; laterally shifting said cartridge to cause said yarn plugs to fall along the opposite side of said storage area by rotating said cartridge in the opposite direction (e.g., clockwise) at a speed substantially equal to that of said yarn plugs; sensing the lateral position of said cartridge at a point where continued rotation would cause yarn plugs to fall at the other extreme (e.g., outermost) section of the storage area in about 0.01 to 1 second; laterally shifting said cartridge to cause it to rotate in the original direction; continuously feeding yarn plugs into said cartridge by causing it repeatedly to rotate in one direction, shift, rotate in the opposite direction and shift; and removing said plug-containing cartridge from beneath the texturizer outlet. Since the plugs typically travel at about 1% of the yarn speed, the plug takeup can operate at a low speed, permitting simple design and low cost. The invention does not require a specially designed texturizer for its operation, and there is no need to wrap the yarn plugs.
After plugs have been deposited in a cartridge, the cartridge may be removed from the apparatus. The yarn plugs may then be pulled out over a tension gate, wound on a beam and later on knitted or weaved into fabric. Of course, many tens or hundreds of cartridges (i.e. yarn ends) may be required for the beaming operation. Alternatively, the cartridge may be used to feed a knitter directly.